I don't mean a favorite shirt or restuarant or whatever. When I was younger, sports were special and we couldn't wait for Sunday to watch the Browns or hide the radio under the covers to catch the Indians. Music was special because you had to work to find it, hear it and it was seditious. That's kind of my meaning. Today we are 24/7/365 inundated with all the things that make life special from movies to sports to music. So much of what enriches our lives has become background noise. So is there anything along those lines that is still special to you or am I just an old curmudgeon and totally wrong?

I still look forward to good wrestling PPVs, I still anticipate albums by my favorite bands. I get all giddy thinking about going to Pearl Jam in august. I get an adrenaline rush when I see the trailer to a movie I am really wanting to see and downloading it online the day it is first released only makes it more special.

The NHL playoffs are really exciting and I am looking forward to watching the games.

I am happy when I get e-mail from people that are very dear to me. I look forward to spending time with close friends.

Well, I nearly ran my car off the road when they called that balk the other day and the Nats scored the tying run off of it.

But seriously, movie premiers (like X3) and video game/system release dates are pretty special to me. Outside of Wrestlemania, I don't order any WWE PPVs, because that one has always been special to me. It's like the superbowl of wrestling to me since I was a kid and saw WM III.

"You want to tempt the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing?" --Toby, West Wing

Sports are still special to me. Even with all the 24/7 sports channels and sports radio and the newspapers and sports magazines and the internet. Actually, I've gotten into the habit of watching NBA games on TV while loading Yahoo's realtime box scores on the computer at the same time. I love being able to look and see how many fouls/rebounds/assists/turnovers a given player has so far at anytime during the game without having to wait for the announcers to tell me.

Watching my sister's softball games are special too. I dont even like baseball, but I love going to those games.

Originally posted by dunkndollazMy 3 kids racing to meet me at the door at the end of the day after my 2 hour commute is special every single time. Doesn't matter what kind of a day I had, they make me feel special.

I get really misty when one of my kids shows that they've been thinking of other people. Example: We gave the eldest $4 to spend at a school bookfair. When she came home at the end of the day, she had bought something for herself and something for each of her siblings. I cried to myself because she grew so much older to me in that moment. I like to listen to them when they think no one is around, because they usually get along so much better without an adult to compete for and they really do care for each other.

Other than family, not really anything for me. If I miss a movie in the theater, I'll catch it on video. If I miss a show on TV, I'll catch it in reruns. I don't have strong friendships other than my wife. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy life and all most of its events, but they don't usually cause me to be giddy with anticipation.

There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those that can read binary and those that can't.

I'll go with the sports as well. I always get excited to see someone achieve something they have worked their whole life for.

Also, everything Izzy Jo does is special, with our most special thing lately being that me and the guy who works in our warehouse take her to eat chili dogs and ice cream sandwiches every Thursday night. Mmmm...chili dogs. When she learns something new at gymnastics or remembers something that seemed insignificant or pretty much anything qualifies as "special".

"You know what you need?Some new quotes in your sig.Yeah, I said it." -- DJFrostyFreeze

Having small children make lots of things special that were previously thought to be insignificant. That doesn't mean that you don't want to smack them sometimes (though I hear you can't do that anymore - didn't seem to affect me - getting smacked once in a while, I mean).

But, I also see where the DirtMan is coming from. In the olden days, an event was special. There were only four television channels, so you relished what little entertainment or sports that you got. The description as background noise sounds right to me. As I type this I am switching between Live365 - 80s flashback and WFAN with Mike and the Mad Dog. Lots of entertainment choices even while I am working!

I just don't think we appreciate how good we have it now.

I will end the old man rant now before you pups come and poop on my lawn.

I agree with you all re the personal stuff. My wife and daughter are special as is what we do. I am not talking about that kind of item. We have hype telling us for weeks, if not months, in advance what is supposed to be special. Maybe another part of my query, is where is the mystery and anticipation that makes life (in a large sense)special.

Despite not being raised with any religious affiliation, my favorite time of year is Thanksgiving to New Year, and mostly because of the time I spend with family.

There's just something about that time of year that makes me feel like a kid again. Also, watching my parents get older has made me realize that these moments won't last forever.

"Those of you who think you know everything are annoying to those of us who do."David Brent, The Office

"Oedipus ruined a great sex life by asking too many questions."Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report

"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets and then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again." Unknown, Marin County newspaper's TV listing for "The Wizard of Oz"

Most recently for me would be, seeing my child’s heart beat for the first time during the first trimester of pregnancy. I think I had the same filling as DrDirt prior to that moment. What is special anymore? Now I can count off a number of special things that I am looking forward to.

The first trip to Disneyland as an infant. (Special for the parents)

Then there is the first trip to Disneyland as young and aware child (5ish). I remember not being able to sleep the night before my first trip to Disneyland many moons ago. I believe that still holds true for children.

Originally posted by piemanIn the olden days, an event was special. There were only four television channels, so you relished what little entertainment or sports that you got.

I will end the old man rant now before you pups come and poop on my lawn.

You got *FOUR* channels? I'm jealous - I only had three.

ON TOPIC (and definitely not in order - if anything it's reverse order) - Football Sundays are still special. There's the racing home from church in time to catch the end of the pre-game shows (or heading to the stadium 4 hours before kick-off if we're at Lambeau).

Christmas will always be special, even after the two younger ones know there's no Santa.

Heck, anything with the kids qualifies, for the reasons noted above.

Nothing beats falling to sleep with my wife in my arms.

I agree with the sentiment that we're told too frequently about things that are supposed to be special, but just aren't.

For me it really is baseball. There is nothing else that makes me feel as light and happy as the moment the first pitch of a ball game is thrown, and I'm sitting amidst thousands of people all trying to will their team on to victory. All the hype and screaming sportscasters and steroids and crap you can mention doesn't change that moment for me.

The moment at a concert when the lights go down and a show you've waited days, weeks, months, or in some cases years to see begins is still one of the moments where the hair on the back of the neck raises up.

I remember being in a theatre at Midnight on Dec. 17, 2003 and waiting for something that was years in the making, and hearing the entire place explode when the opening credits of LOTR:ROTK rolled. All the hype in the world couldn't buy or create the reaction and emotion in that room that night.

I am especially picky about going to the movie theatre because it never stopped being special. I want to see a really good or fun movie, I want my favorite snacks, I want to be there with plenty of time, and I will KILL any schmuck who talks.

The theatre(plays and musicals, not films) are quite special to me. As someone who is now apart of the community, I'm always anxious to go out and watch the College put on excellent productions or on the rare occasions I get to see a touring production, it's a pretty big deal to me.

Anybody who plays a sport will tell you that suiting up and watching the kickoff/throw off/tip/first pitch/whatever gives you a rush like none other.

There's also a summer camp that I went to as a kid (3 times) and worked at as a college student (4 times). I stopped working there once my summers had to be dedicated to grad school, but for various reasons I find myself back working there again this summer. I haven't been this excited about anything in ages. Every part of the experience is special to me.

Originally posted by pieman In the olden days, an event was special. There were only four television channels, so you relished what little entertainment or sports that you got.

I will end the old man rant now before you pups come and poop on my lawn.

You got *FOUR* channels? I'm jealous - I only had three.

We had FIVE. the ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS channel and WGN. Plus if we turned our antenna to the east, we could get the channels from South Bend.

Special. Big events in my kids lives. My daughter is graduating from HS tomorrow. She got a big scholarship today. My Dad, who I don't see often, is here and he and I spent 5-6 hrs goofing around together. And it's fun to just live.

I don't think I am so jaded yet.

We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.

Yep, that was an incredible thrill for me (Disney World).....and again when I took my wife there for her very first time on our honeymoon. Now I absolutely can't wait till my two children are a little bit older when I can take them to Disney World.

Watching Steeler games and also watching my son play in his little league games (Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Football)is incredibly special for me.

The Harry Potter movies. My friends think they're fantastic and I am bored by them. In terms of the movies I would normally like, most of my friends loved the Speed and Speed2 movies. I didn't care for them.